


An AcaDec Valentine

by shouldhaveknownbetter



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Academic Decathlon Team Shenanigans, F/M, Fluff, Identity Reveal, Inappropriate candy hearts, Not Canon Compliant, Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Pre-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Spideychelle, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff, flufftastic, fluffy Mcflufferston, sugar rush - Freeform, vintage crime scene photographs are how MJ shows she cares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:14:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23069068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shouldhaveknownbetter/pseuds/shouldhaveknownbetter
Summary: It’s Valentine’s Day and, as Academic Decathlon Captain, MJ has gifts for the whole team – but she’s not the only one who’s planned something special to celebrate the holiday.  If they can survive the sugar rush and expressions of affection through vintage crime scene photographs, Peter might just be able to tell MJ how he really feels.Yeah, so Valentine’s Day is over for this year but isn’t it always Valentine’s Day in our hearts?  No?  Break out the murder pictures then.
Relationships: Michelle Jones/Peter Parker
Comments: 29
Kudos: 131





	An AcaDec Valentine

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you again to Ebony10 for the beta read and for helping add more heart to this story. Innuendo is fun, we're really all here for the feelings.

For Valentine’s Day that year, MJ gives every member of the Academic Decathlon team crime scene photographs from the infamous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Yeah, the 1929 Chicago mob hit. That’s the one. She had them framed with cheap red velvet cardboard and then signed them all. With a _flourish_.

“What the hell, Jones?” Flash demands when she hands him his photo, sliding into the space between his spread hands on his desk. “You are seriously disturbed. Get some therapy, if you can afford it.” He’s the first to receive his gift and doesn’t appreciate the honor of this.

“Yoo hoo, Flash.” Peter waves from the desk beside him. “Over here. Your cracks about not having any money are supposed to be for me.” 

MJ presents Peter his photo next, while nodding sagely. “It’s true. Peter’s the poor one and I’m the antisocial hag who will never know love.” Peter opens his mouth to react, but he’s cut off.

“Oh, I’m getting to that,” says Flash, his chest expanding as he takes a deep breath to continue spreading around insults.

MJ doesn’t wait for Flash to ramp up. “For _you_ ,” she says, laying the next photo in front of Cindy.

“ _Thank_ you,” Cindy says reverently, picking up her present delicately with the pads of her fingers to better examine it. “I’m putting this on my door so my brother can see it every time he sneaks in to borrow my headphones. Maybe I’ll add a caption with a bloody threat.”

“Me next! Me next!” Charles is bouncing up and down in his seat.

“Has everyone gone insane?” Flash leaps to his feet. “Who here is actually excited to get a picture of an actual murder scene? There are freakin’ pools of blood.”

Ned raises his hand and then looks around but finds he’s the only one who did. The team is mostly ignoring Flash in favor of examining their gifts.

“Um, thank you, Michelle,” Mr. Harrington says, as his Valentine is bestowed upon him. “I’m very – I see that – _Ahem_. I think I have to confess that I just don’t get it. I’m not hip to the, ah, _symbolism_ here.”

MJ shrugs. “Nothing to get. I’m giving my favorite people something meaningful to commemorate the holiday. Something that I find represents the joy and love of the season.”

“Oh.” Mr. Harrington looks down at his picture again. “Well, then I _really_ don’t get it.”

“That’s okay. Just know that I give this with all the love in my heart.”

Flash can _not_ let that one go. “And how much is _that_? Like a teaspoon? A whole teaspoon of love? Or am I giving you too much credit, you ugly wacko.”

That’s _it_. 

Peter’s chair scrapes loudly across the floor as he throws himself to his feet, but he freezes and sinks back into his seat at MJ’s peremptory gesture. 

MJ’s eyes are slits. “Flash, I feel like you don’t appreciate my heartfelt Valentine’s gift.”

“Again, for the record, this is a vintage crime scene photograph. Of a mob shooting. You’re giving us all murder pictures.”

“I know, _right_? Pretty amazing.” Charles breathes, admiring his own V-day gift.

“What is going on?” Flash turns in place. “Has everyone gone insane? Why is everyone pretending this is in any way _not_ the gift of a person who has serious mental issues? Can I call the school counselor? Can we get this freak out of mainstream classes before she sneaks into our houses and murders all our bunnies?”

“You have a bunny, Flash? Really? What kind?” Abe is suddenly interested in this conversation.

“No, I’m being sarcastic. Also, that’s a classic movie reference. Which maybe since we’re the Academic Decathlon Team, this is a sign that someone should be studying up on vintage cinema, so we don’t embarrass ourselves.”

“Did you just volunteer, Flash?” MJ raises an eyebrow and goes for her captain’s notebook, pulling out a pen and raising an eyebrow.

“Why is Mr. Harrington groaning and banging his head on the table,” Abe asks no one in particular.

Peter shrugs, watching Mr. Harrington with a frown of concern. “Don’t you like old movies, Mr. Harrington?”

“Old movies…” Mr. Harrington whispers.

Flash backs out of the room, shaking his head. “You’re all seriously messed up.” He leaves his gift behind.

“Ta-ta!” MJ says, waggling her fingers in farewell. 

“Bye! Bye now!” the rest of the team choruses.

As soon as Flash’s frantic footfalls have receded, MJ checks the hallway and slams the door. The team collapses into laughter. 

“Well, that worked,” Cindy says between gasps as she wipes tears from her eyes.

“Yeah, a little too well,” Abe agrees. “Are we all going to have to miss class to spend time with the school counselor _again_?”

Charles shakes his head. “Nah. It’s the whole wolf thing. Flash doesn’t have any credibility anymore. It’s beautiful.”

“Wolf thing?” Cindy curls her lip.

“You know. The Boy Who …” Charles gestures. “ _This is Academic Decathlon,_ ” he does his Flash imitation with an added simper. “Don’t make me spell it out for you.”

“We get it,” MJ says. “Anyways, thanks for playing along everybody. You can give back the photos. I’ve got a really dope idea for a collage.” She holds out her hand to collect the velvet-framed pictures.

“What? NoOoOo.” Abe clutches his photo to his chest. “No givesies-backsies!”

Cindy is _appalled_. She slides her eyes back and forth from Abe to MJ. “’Take backs’? Please tell me you meant ‘take backs’?”

“I said what I _said_!” Abe snarls.

“Okay, dude. It’s cool.” Ned steps in. “I’m sure that MJ would be chill with you keeping that one.”

Cindy rears back. “Um, heck. I’m keeping mine too. I wasn’t pretending. It’s perfect. I can’t wait to see my brother’s face. He faints at the sight of blood, so yeah, I might even color in the blood pools, because it’s a black and white photo so he might not realize what they are at first.”

“Oookay.” It’s Ned’s turn to make the _wow_ face. “MJ?”

She waves it away. “Sure. Keep it. I can deal. Glad it struck a chord with you.”

Charles raises his hand. “Yeah, I’m keeping mine too. The last Valentines that anyone gave me were way back in sixth grade. From my mom and my bus driver. So, this is pretty special.”

“It’s not like we’re mature enough as high schoolers to give out sincere Valentines anyways, right?” Cindy says, leaning in closer to examine some of the detail in the photo in front of her.

Peter hides something in his lap. “We’re not?”

“Yeah, like anything we give out is equal parts hormones run amuck and like a double-dog-dare that the other person to do something about it. Nah. We’re in that Valentine’s Day dead zone. Too old for elementary school stuff where you have to give everyone in your class a card and not old enough for it to _mean_ anything.” Cindy continues.

Abe shakes his head. “Liz gave us all Valentines last year or did everyone suddenly forget?”

“I remembered,” MJ says. “That was part of what inspired me. But I guess everyone ate those and forgot about them immediately, so I was going for something more memorable. Lasting, even. Something that would linger beyond the buffer of your short-term memory.”

“Mission Accomplished,” mutters Mr. Harrington, turning his own picture face down on the table.

The door to the classroom swings open, following by a breathless Sally. “Sorry! Sorry! Had to schedule a tutoring session. What did I miss?”

There’s a beat of silence as everyone trades eye contact, waiting to see who wants to go first.

“Um, so…”

“– We got rid of Flash –”

“– _Shut_ the dang door –”

“Happy Valentine’s Day!” MJ steps up and bestows the last photo on Sally. “I guess these aren’t the joke I had assumed. You are free to either accept or decline this gift, no hard feelings.”

“Oh, wow.” Sally gapes at her Valentine for moment. “Wow. This is so cool. Oh! That reminds me.” She starts digging through the voluminous bag slung over her shoulder, spilling papers and pens onto the floor. “Wait. Here they are.” She emerges triumphant with a handful of ruby-red, heart-shaped lollipops. All with Spider-Man’s face on them. “My brother had some leftovers after doing his class valentines. He’s in third grade.” She says this part with an undertone like that makes it acceptable. “Anyways, I thought ‘friend Valentines’! Since we kinda know the guy, since he saved us that one time.” Sally starts handing them out, giving one to MJ first.

“Niiiiice,” Cindy says as she takes a lollipop. “For those of us who always wanted to know what Spider-Man tastes like.”

Peter wheezes. 

“Then we’d better get Flash back here. He’d never forgive us for missing _this_.” Abe goes for the door with a straight face, but Charles tackles him, and they tussle good-naturedly.

“You okay there, Pete?” Mr. Harrington asks as Peter descends into a full-on coughing fit.

“I’m…. fine…” he whispers, struggling to breathe. 

MJ unwraps her lollipop and contemplates it. Then she looks straight into Peter’s still-watering eyes and opens her mouth, sliding the lollipop over her tongue with relish.

Peter’s eyes widen and his lungs turn to cement.

Cindy’s working on her Spider-Pop too. “Huh,” she says, giving it a swipe with her tongue. “I thought it’d taste sweatier.” She shrugs and starts crunching.

Peter’s breathing restarts and he chokes.

“Hold on, Peter! I’ve got you!” Mr. Harrington leaps to his feet and whacks Peter on the back, knocking him sideways in his chair, causing him to spill the contents of his lap onto the floor in a cascade of color.

“Friend Valentines! They’re friend Valentines!” Peter gasps. “P-please stop hitting me, Mr. Harrington.”

“Oh! Of course.” Mr. Harrington freezes and then jumps out of the way as Peter throws himself to the ground to pick up his stuff. 

MJ sticks her lollipop in the side of her cheek, clenching it between her teeth like a cigar, and gracefully slides onto her knees to help Peter. She grabs the first item she comes across and holds it out to Peter. It’s a heart-shaped cookie with icing spelling out: _We Can Split the Check._

“Nice,” she says. “Just like the heart candies, huh?”

“Yeah! Yeah, like the candies! May was making cookies for her book club and had a lot of leftovers,” Peter shows her a blue heart cookie with _Tolerable Enough_ in icing.

“Pride and Prejudice ref?” MJ raises an eyebrow.

“Oh, for sure. The movie’s one of May’s favorites. And the miniseries.” He blushes. “They’re both pretty good.”

MJ picks up another cookie. “ _No Thank U_. This one’s mine. I’m keeping it.”

“Absolutely. Keep it,” Peter says eagerly.

“Cool.” MJ smirks like a gangster around the lollipop stick, and they’re crouched on the floor, face to face only inches apart. “Can I have this one too?” She shows him the one that says, _Yes Means Yes_.

“Yeah, yeah. Of course.” Peter nods and starts looking through the other cookies still spread at their feet. “It’s a pair with –”

“ _No Means No_?” MJ supplies. “But we’re setting that one aside for Flash, right?”

Peter smirks. “Only if you think he can read.”

“Ooh, burn. I thought you were too nice for that.”

“I contain multitudes,” he says smugly and hands her a different cookie. “Here. I made this one for you.”

This time, it’s MJ whose face turns rosy as she looks at the iced inscription. “Please tell me your aunt didn’t help you make this one,” she whispers.

Peter leans in and –

“Hey,” Cindy yells at them. “Stop flirting and hand over the cookies!” MJ and Peter jerk back to awareness that they’re not alone.

“But they’ve been on the floor,” Charles says as he recoils. “Our feet go on that floor!”

“Five second rule! Thirty second rule! I don’t care just give me a cookie!” Abe shouts and then claps his hands over his mouth. “That was really loud. It’s possible that I’ve had too much sugar.”

Sally dusts off a cookie that had slid to a stop near her feet. “They’re totally fine. See?” She takes a large bite, spewing a few crumbs.

“Hey!” Cindy barks. “You didn’t tell us what it said before you ate it!”

Sally shrugs. “Ooops?”

“Now, now,” Mr. Harrington bleats, still standing above Peter, his hands helplessly wide.

“Oooh, this one is definitely for me.” Ned, who had come to help with the cookie roundup on Peter’s other side, displays a cookie heart that reads _Delete Ur Browser History._

Peter shoots a glance at Mr. Harrington, at Ned, and leans away from them and towards MJ, just a little, and drops his voice. “I’m sorry about that cookie – if it’s too much, if it’s the wrong thing to say - I can just throw it away – “

“No givesies-backsies,” MJ whispers and lets herself sink back towards Peter, close enough to see from the crumbs on his mouth that he must have been sampling the cookies... She pulls the lollipop out of her mouth and twirls the stick between her fingers, but her eyes are only on Peter.

“Really? I was worried that it was too – “

“Blunt? You know I _like_ blunt.”

“Yeah? Then, do you want to – “

“Peter! I think I got all the cookies,” Ned interrupts.

“Cookies!” Abe stampedes dangerously close, his feet in trampling range of this still-unfolding moment. 

MJ and Peter jump apart, and MJ gets up to hastily shove her handful of cookies into the container the murder pictures had come out of and snaps the lid on.

“Let’s get down to business,” she barks. “Everyone get a cookie, and then we can still practice for a half hour.”

Peter passes out the remaining cookies and then the team zips through some practice rounds before MJ dismisses them.

“Hey,” Cindy hisses as MJ tries to scoot out of the classroom. “Hey! What did that one cookie say? You know, the one you hid after Peter gave it to you.”

MJ looks around and then pops the lid and tilts the container so only Cindy can see.

Cindy’s eyebrows shoot up. “It’s always the quiet ones, huh.” 

“MJ?”

MJ jumps. Peter is waiting in the hallway. “Can I talk to you for a minute?” he says.

Cindy leans in and mutters, “Tell me everything later.” And then she swerves away.

“Uh, hi.” MJ tucks her hair behind her ears. “What’s up, Parker?” 

“Ah, well. I had one more cookie for you.” He dips his head and then reveals _Will You Go Out With Me_. “Do you? Want to?”

MJ fights it for about half a second, before surrendering, letting her smile take over her face as she opens up the container still in her hands and holds up _Yes_ _Means Yes_.

“Really? Cool.” He hops a little closer. “That’s _so_ so great.”

“What about…this one?” MJ flashes the other cookie. The one he had said was _especially_ for her. _That_ cookie. _Sit On My Face,_ it reads in perky pink letters.

And pink is the color that now rises on Peter’s cheeks “Um…yeah. If your first cookie applies to both, then maybe for after?” The pink becomes a deep rust red. “Dessert?”

MJ lets her hair fall forward to hide the sudden rush of heat to own her face, and then she sweeps it back. “Seems only fair, right? After all, I got a taste of you earlier.”

It takes a moment and then – Peter starts choking again.

“Save it for tonight, Spider-Man,” MJ says and smacks him on the back.

The End


End file.
